“Right now, we have to carry our vision machines from school to school which causes a great deal of wear and tear and they are not as accurate,” Hancock said.

Lions President Dave Straus said the donation was just one way Lions kept involved in the community, especially since they saw a need for the equipment.

“It is also in keeping with the mission of Lions Club International because of the challenge by Helen Keller to be ‘Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness,’” Straus said, adding that they also do a two-week eyeglass collection starting Valentine’s Day. “The Lions accepted her challenge and our work ever since has included sight-related programs aimed at preventable blindness.”

Lions last donated a vision machine, an Optic 2500, to the school district in 2001.

Stuttgart school nurse Katie Hord said the district previously had three machines that they used in all four of the district’s campuses. The district is mandated to check the vision of all students from pre-Kindergarten to eighth grade, all special education students as well as any student referred by a teacher.

The latest machine will now be used at the high school, making it less stressful for the school nurses. Hord said, “we have also been worried about the equipment suffering any damage while we are transporting it. Having a machine for each building is ideal.”

Hancock said the latest donated machine would now allow the district to have a vision machine located on all four campuses.